Grizzlies Tony Allen ready for return to Garden

Tom Layman Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Credit: AP (File)

Grizzlies guard Tony Allen.

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It’s kind of fitting that on the night the Celtics welcome back Avery Bradley and his non-stop, on-the-ball pressure defense to the lineup that the man who used to fill that role of “defensive stopper” is in the building with a different jersey on.

Tony Allen is now a grizzled veteran in Memphis and he's carved out a nice career in his three years since he left the Celtics following the 2009-10 season.

Allen has been named to the NBA All-Defensive team the last two seasons, earning first team status last year, and has become one of the most versatile and intimidating defenders in the league. The soon to be 31-year-old looked back at his days in a Celtics uniform after the Grizzlies’ morning shootaround on the Garden floor today.

“I learned a lot over there,” Allen said. “I definitely respect everything that I’ve accomplished over there and the opportunity that they gave me. I was definitely in a great situation, but as we know it’s a business and (there is) no love lost. I am a Celtic. I won a championship with them, so forever this organization will be a brotherhood of mine. It’s just a chapter in my book now.”

Allen’s role changed significantly after the trades that brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston before the 2007-08 season. He went from gaining significant minutes on a young, but unsuccessful, team to filling the bench role behind several All-Stars. His role in the C's surprising 2010 run to Game 7 of the NBA Championship probably showed the rest of the league his growth as a player, when he played solid defense against LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and some of the best perimeter scorers in the league.

To get minutes, Allen knew he had to carve out a nice little niche that would separate himself from his teammates on the defensive end, especially for a coach (Doc Rivers) who doesn’t hand out playing time to just any young player.

“I was backing up Hall of Fame guys, guys who pretty much could score that ball,” said Allen. “I was just looking at it like one thing they couldn’t do as good as I could is defend the ball, on the ball defense and off the ball. For the most part that was a way for me to get on the court, and I took advantage of it. I listened to everything Doc gave me and offered me as far as his teaching and I learned a lot.”

Here are some more thoughts from Allen from today’s shootaround:

On his impending free agency and if a return to Boston is in the cards:

"I’m in a comfortable position right now. I like where I’m at. I showed what I can do. I pretty much know that I’m a force on any team. Man, who knows. The sky is the limit. I’m where I want to be right now. We’ve got a new organization and a new everything going for us over here. Our motto is to grit-and-grind and grind forward over here."

Is he surprised by the Celtics’ early season struggles this year?

"You can’t win a championship in October, November, December, January. They are just pretty much ironing it out right now, get it out of the way."

On whether there is extra importance placed on a return to the Garden:

"It’s a regular game. I don’t think too much of it. One thing I do know is that I’m 1-0 in here. I keep that in mind. I know I can win when I come back in here. There is no greater feeling than coming back and winning. They know I’m a winner."